Karim Harji
| Email: | karim@purposecap.com |
Karim Harji is a co-founder and partner at Purpose Capital, where he advises investors, foundations, and financial institutions globally on how to align their investment strategies with their social impact objectives.
Karim is recognized as a leading practitioner and researcher on issues related to impact investing, social finance, and social entrepreneurship. In 2012, he co-authored a strategic assessment of the Rockefeller Foundation’s $40m Impact Investing Initiative, which included interviews with more than 100 impact investing leaders from 11 countries. He also co-author of Accelerating Impact: Achievements, Challenges and What’s Next in Building the Impact Investing Industry, a comprehensive scan of the impact investment industry’s evolution.
Karim is a regular contributor to SocialFinance.ca, the leading website on social finance and impact investing in Canada, which he co-founded in 2008. Karim was previously the Senior Manager for Partnerships & Social Impact at Social Capital Partners, where he led workforce development initiatives that provided growth financing and advisory services to franchises and large corporations seeking to enhance their social impact. His international work experience spans several sectors and regions, and includes job creation initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa, human rights at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and microfinance impact assessment in Pakistan.
Karim is a Senior Research Associate at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation at Carleton University, and teaches social entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto and at the Schulich School of Business at York University. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Carleton University, and serves on the Boards of the Social Investment Organization, Small Change Fund, and CanadaHelps.